Virtual reconstruction of the Kebara 2 Neanderthal pelvis Mayowa T. Adegboyega a, * , Peter A. Stamos a, b , Jean-Jacques Hublin c , Timothy D. Weaver a, c a Department of Anthropology, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA b Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy, University of Chicago,1027 E. 57th Street / Anatomy 201, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA c Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany article info Article history: Received 17 September 2019 Accepted 18 November 2020 Available online xxx Keywords: Postcrania Late Pleistocene Levantine Neanderthals Skeletal morphology abstract The paucity of well-preserved pelvises in the hominin fossil record has hindered robust analyses of shifts in critical biological processes throughout human evolution. The Kebara 2 pelvis remains one of the best preserved hominin pelvises, providing a rare opportunity to assess Neanderthal pelvic morphology and function. Here, we present two new reconstructions of the Kebara 2 pelvis created from CT scans of the right hip bone and sacrum. For both reconstructions, we proceeded as follows. First, we virtually reconstructed the right hip bone and the sacrum by repositioning the fragments of the hip bone and sacrum. Then, we created a mirrored copy of the right hip bone to act as the left hip bone. Next, we 3D printed the three bones and physically articulated them. Finally, we used fiducial points collected from the physically articulated models to articulate the hip bones and sacrum in virtual space. Our objectives were to (1) reposition misaligned fragments, particularly the ischiopubic ramus; (2) create a 3D model of a complete pelvis; and (3) assess interobserver reconstruction variation. These new reconstructions show that, in comparison with previous measurements, Kebara 2 possessed a higher shape index (maximum anteroposterior length/maximum mediolateral width) for the pelvic inlet and perhaps the outlet and a more anteriorly positioned sacral promontory and pubic symphysis relative to the acetabula. The latter differences result in a lower ratio between the distances anterior and posterior to the anterior margins of the acetabula. Generally, the new reconstructions tend to accentuate features of the Kebara 2 pelvis eethe long superior pubic ramus and anteriorly positioned pelvic inleteethat have already been dis- cussed for Kebara 2 and other Neanderthals. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The human pelvis plays a significant role in many aspects of human biology that have been critical for survival and reproduc- tion. For instance, the angle of pelvic incidence, along with the curvature of the vertebral column, influences posture and loco- motion (Abitbol, 1987; Duval-Beaup ere et al., 1992; Lovejoy, 2005; Tardieu et al., 2006; Been et al., 2013, 2017); the hip joint connects the lower limbs to the rest of the body and transfers the load from the upper body to the hind limbs during bipedal locomotion (Paul, 1966; Crowninshield et al., 1978; Stern and Susman, 1983; Ruff, 1995; Lovejoy, 2009); the width of the pelvis impacts thermoreg- ulation (Ruff, 1991 , 1994, 2010; Holliday, 1997; Weaver and Hublin, 2009); and the dimensions of the birth canal influence the ease and mechanism by which childbirth occurs (Trinkaus, 1984; Tague and Lovejoy, 1986; Rosenberg, 1992; Rosenberg and Trevathan, 1995; Ruff, 1995, 2010; Kappelman, 1996; Arsuaga et al., 1999; Simpson et al., 2008; Weaver and Hublin, 2009; Gruss and Schmitt, 2015). The size and shape of the pelvis that is optimal for each of these aspects of biology may differ (Rosenberg and Trevathan, 1995; Wells et al., 2012; Grabowski, 2013). Consequently, the variation in pelvic morphology in the hominin fossil record reflects shifting selective pressures related to these functions and neutral evolu- tionary processes (Rosenberg, 1992; McHenry and Coffing, 2000; Gruss and Schmitt, 2015; Betti and Manica, 2018). Although the particularly fragmentary nature of the hominin pelvic fossil record has made it difficult to reconstruct the evolution of the hominin pelvis, many studies have documented evolutionary changes through time and differences across hominin taxa in pelvic anatomy and their potential functional implications, from the emergence of early hominins (Lovejoy et al., 1973; Stern and * Corresponding author. E-mail address: otadegboyega@ucdavis.edu (M.T. Adegboyega). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Human Evolution journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jhevol https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102922 0047-2484/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Human Evolution 151 (2021) 102922